A Beating Heart of Stone
by TheSilverHunt3r
Summary: They have an understanding with each other. Dazai watches the flick of a wrist. The sharp blade of a scapel across a sickly pale throat. The spray of blood being released from the carotid artery.


"A beating heart of stone

You gotta be so cold

To make it in this world

Yeah, you're a natural

Living your life cutthroat

You gotta be so cold

Yeah, you're a natural."

-Natural, by Imagine Dragons

Mori is cold. His heart is dark, like most Port Mafia members.

But for some reason Mori's is even darker, an unfathomable dark crevice Dazai peers into. Yet try as he might he can't see even several inches into it. Throwing a match of provocation into the canyon only provides a brief glimpe of the sides before it falls beyond Dazai's vision.

They have an understanding with each other.

Dazai watches the flick of a wrist. The sharp blade of a scapel across a sickly pale throat. The spray of blood being released from the carotid artery.

Mori will be the new Port Mafia Boss. And Dazai will be the witness.

XXX

Mori opens the door with a slight frown. "Dazai-kun?" He calls out. The former doctor heads to the bathroom immediately, a mild crease forming on his forehead. He swears as he sees Dazai by the sink, holding a blade from a razor over his wrist.

Dazai starts and turns around at the curse. His hand jerks in his surprise. The razor blade makes a shallow furrow down the length of the soft inside of his left arm.

Mori takes off his white coat and slips an arm under Dazai's right arm pit. He presses the sleeve of his coat against the cut. There's a sharp tightness to his features that only happen when he's in life or death situation. Regardless of whether he's causing a death or saving a life.

Dazai scowls and tried to break free as Mori drags Dazai to his bedroom. The former doctor has a large store of medical supplies there. Partly due to paranoia, partly due to the fact that his ward is unfortunately obsessed with trying to die.

The door is locked and the boy is deposited beside the desk chair.

"Keep pressure on the wound, Dazai-kun," Mori orders. He pulls out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a roll of bandages.

Dazai pouts but complies. On the white sleeve of the coat, part of fabric is dyed a dark red.

Mori settles into the chair and places the two items on the desk. "Hold your arm up."

The hydrogen peroxide stings. Dazai tries to pull his arm away, with very limited success.

Mori tightens his hand around Dazai's hand, preventing the boy from pulling it away. He sighs. "Dazai-kun, I need to sterilize your arm," he calmly states.

"But, I don't want you to," Dazai complains. He continues to pull his arm away from Mori.

Mori casts a stern flat look at his ward. "If I don't sterilize it, you might get infected."

"Fine," Dazai grumbles. He knows not to object at that look. Mori is not amused and will somehow force him to do it even if he doesn't want to. The path of least resistance is undeniably the best choice in this case.

XXX

Chuuya is interesting, he is different.

His heart is not dark like Mori's or stone like Dazai. His is fire. Unlike Kouyou's fire, his has not been dampened.

If anything, the attempts to snuff it out have made it worse. As if every gallon of the cold water of a cruel reality is the gasoline of a wonderful place worth fighting for instead.

Chuuya also isn't really human. Which makes him even more interesting.

XXX

Dazai is complaining. "I'm really hungry. Why did we take this mission? It's really boring and I'm hungry..."

Chuuya glares through the binoculars and tries to repress the urge to kill his partner. After another few minutes of the constant whining in his ears, his patience shatters like glass. "Well, if you keep complaining, I can give you a knuckle sandwich." Chuuya's smile is razor sharp.

"No thanks, I'm not interested in cannibalism," Dazai chirps.

Chuuya's lips curl up in a grimace. "What the h**l, Dazai?" He says in disgust.

Dazai smirks.

"They're here," Chuuya hisses and stands up.

They carefully make their way over the rooftop of the warehouse. The empty pallets piled by the side make the descent to the ground easy enough. The objects also creates good cover for the two teenagers.

It is a massacre, as usual. The thiefs that had been stealing from the Port Mafia were not expecting an ambush and had no Gifteds with them.

Dazai sighs. "No one even got close this time," he laments. He turns his head to Chuuya with a pout. "I keep hoping I'll die but I barely even get scratched by anyone."

Chuuya piles another dead body on top. With the help of For the Tainted Sorrow, he's been forming rows of corpses, piled four high. The cleaning crew will be here soon and will appreciate the help. He lazily flicks his wrist and another body slowly moves to form another stack. "Why do you even want to die?"

"What's the point of continuing a painful existence?" Dazai asks. He perches on a pallet with practised ease.

"Living," Chuuya immediately replies. "But I guess if you think the point of life is comfort, then...I guess that's logical? But since life is full of pain, well, why would the point of it be the opposite? Does that make sense?" He shrugs and sits next to his partner.

"What do you think is the purpose of life, Chibi?" Dazai curiously questions.

Chuuya narrows his eyes at the nickname as he lights a cigarette. "I don't know. But I'd like to find out and I'm pretty sure it isn't all about comfort and pleasure."

"Interesting," Dazai chirps and waves goodbye. "Anyways, I'm going to get some food. You get to handle the rest of this. Send me a copy of the reports!"

"Dazai," Chuuya growls in annoyance. "I'm not doing your report for you, you b*****d!"

Dazai grins as he walks away. "Okay, okay!"

"Why did I have to get stuck with him for a partner?"

XXX

After careful observation, Dazai decides that he classified Chuuya wrongly.

The redhead doesn't have a heart of fire, his is water, a veritible ocean. He is happy and calm, ready to laugh and play. The next moment he is fierce and ready to kill anyone around him.

The gallons of cold reality were intended to douse him, his fire. However, he has a heart of water, they only add to his strength.

XXX

Akutagawa has a regular heart. As much as the kid tries to trade his heart for a dark one, he has a regular heart.

Gin has a regular heart too. Perhaps one that's even more kind and regular than her brother.

XXX

"Let's get down to business then. Akutagawa, watch carefully," Dazai chirps. He motions towards a suit standing behind the reluctant informer to be. His eyes are dark as he watches one of his subordinate's submerge the man's face in a large bowl of water.

The man thrashs, but is unable to break out of the suit's iron grip. Bubbles of precious air from the man's nose float as he can't help but exhale.

Dazai's phone rings. "Stop," he calmly orders.

The suit complies and the man gasps for air. His face and hair are wet from the water.

Dazai pulls out his phone. He sighs as he sees the name on the screen, 'Mori.' The Boss has great timing at ruining the serious threatening mood Dazai had built up to intimidate his very special 'guest'. Dazai steps outside of the room and presses 'Accept'.

The faint scratch of Mori's pen can be heard as he writes something. "Dazai-kun, I'm sure you've heard of our most recent traitor already?"

"Yes, Boss," Dazai curtly acknowledges.

"I need you to hunt him down. Any preference as to who takes over the smuggling case?" Mori questions.

"Chuuya," Dazai simply replies. After three seconds pass and Mori still hasn't spoken, he decides to elaborate. "He was briefly involved in one of my earlier traps, is a gifted torturer, and will understand how to change my plan according to the information he receives. Plus, Chuuya and his men have enough firepower to carry it out without any help."

"A good choice," Mori compliments. "Dazai-kun, I expect the traitor to be caught soon."

"Of course Boss," Dazai smoothly agrees. At the resulting static, he slips his phone back into his pocket and steps back inside. "We've been reassigned to a new case. We're hunting down a traitor."

Seven hours later, Dazai corners his target.

"Please, I have a family," the man pleads.

In Dazai's peripheral vision, he catches Akutagawa's frown. The obvious show of emotions on his apprentice's face would need to be solved soon.

Dazai sighs, a world weary exasperated sigh. "Why do people say that?" He wonders. "They always act like it makes a difference to me."

The man screams as his jaw is broken. Dazai rolls the traitor over with his shoe. He calmly puts three bullets in the man's heart.

"Akutagawa," Dazai says and turns to his apprentice.

The boy stiffens slightly. "Yes, Sir?"

"The next one I catch, you will mete out the punishment, understood?"

Akutagawa nods, his shoulders still tense. "Understood."

XXX

Odasaku has a heart. Not just a true beating normal heart like the Akutagawa children, the bleeding heart one sees in comics and books.

XXX

A small neutral bar hides in an alley. Lupin's is the usual meeting place for Odasaku and Dazai, and Ango later on.

"I took in five children," Odasaku suddenly admits.

Dazai raises his eyebrows, genuinely surprised at the news. "Why?"

"They were orphaned," Odasaku states simply. As if that explains his actions.

"During Dragon Head Rush? Or it is unconnected?" Dazai queries.

"During Dragon Head Rush," Odasaku quietly confirms. "I couldn't leave them on the streets. It'd be the same as killing them."

XXX

Odasaku has a bleeding heart. Which is why Dazai curses that bleeding heart as he holds his dying friend in his arms. If Odasaku didn't care so much, Odasaku wouldn't be bleeding out. Odasaku wouldn't have adopted those orphans in the first place if he didn't have a bleeding heart.

But, perhaps, that is the way? Perhaps kind people died young? If so, it is rather a shame Dazai will never be kind.

XXX

Dazai runs into many people. He makes many acquaintances and keeps updated on the news of Tokyo's criminal underbelly.

Unfortunately, no one is as interesting as those few in the Port Mafia. There are no cold hearted Moris, fiery Kouyous or Angos, tender hearted Odasakus, or even try-hard Akutagawas.

Those two years of waiting are rather boring.

XXX

Dazai was right to wait and not give up. The Armed Detective Agency holds many interesting people. And, of course, Dazai is following Odasaku's advice and seeing where it leads.

Tanizaki and Naomi are a twin pair of fire. Naomi is more harsh and give off more light than her brother. Tanzaki burns less vibrantly but is no less intense.

Kunikida is...just. That sense of justice would eventually be broken by the cruel weight of the world. But he had a heart of iron, with luck he'd be able to bear the weight.

Yosano is already broken and accepts that. Her heart is normal, but the cracks are welded closed with iron.

Kenji is a naive rat of sunshine. A heart of fire that gently flickers and warms those near it.

Fukuzawa is determined and noble. His heart is difficult to pin down. After research, Dazai decides on a dark heart that turned to an iron one.

Ranpo is lazy but brilliant. He has a normal heart that is plagued by apathy.

XXX

Atsushi has a regular heart. But the more Dazai watches him, the more it seems Atsushi actually has a bleeding heart.

The kid is always worrying about everyone and anxious about everything. He is so concerned and confused all the time, it's somewhat funny to watch.

XXX

Atsushi really regrets going on this case in the mountains. He should have stayed in Yokohama and worked with Kenji again. That would have been much less painful.

"You owe me for this," Dazai cheerfully jokes. One of his hands is holding the wooden pole steady. His other hand is on Atsushi's wrist, ensuring that Atsushi doesn't heal around the wound.

Atushi squirms around. He bits down on the piece of cloth, in an attempt not to scream. The pain around his abdomen stabs at him. As if someone is twisting shards of glass into his stomach.

"Settle down Atsushi-kun. You're just making things worse for yourself," Dazai orders in a monotone voice.

Atsushi nods at the words. He stops moving. But can't stop the tears spilling out over his cheeks at the pain. Even though he knows they will be a bother and just another distraction.

"So, do you want me to take it out or keep it in?" Dazai asks. He gives Atsushi an amused smile, as if he already knows the answer.

"Take it out, please," Atsushi begs. His voice is hoarse and his mouth is dry from panic.

Dazai's smile darkens as he continuously applies a steady upward pressure to the broken wooden pole. His eyes are empty as he focuses on it. The tip of the pole is bloodied and shattered when he gets it out. He peers closer at the gaping wound and spots the small bits of wood among the blood and flesh. As Dazai suspected from the beginning, there are dozens of them. That's unfortunate.

He carefully lays the pole on the tarp. Dazai gives Atsushi's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go. The weretiger can now start working on Atsushi's wound and should be able to fix anything that got nicked.

"You should rest," Dazai suggests in a cheerful tone. "Kunikida should be here with backup soon."

Atsushi moves his head sluggishly. Just enough to see the broken bloodied broom handle on the tarp by his legs. "Thanks, Dazai-san," he rasps.

Dazai pauses. "You're welcome, Atsushi-kun," he chirps.

Watching over an unconscious weretiger isn't what Dazai planned to do that day. But it seems he was stuck with the job while figuring out how to flush out the smugglers.

XXX

Atsushi is extremely trusting. That more than anything is why Dazai pegs the kid as having a bleeding heart.

XXX

Ango has a regular heart. A regular beating heart, like Akutagawa's. But, of course, he belongs in the Port Mafia far more than the kid.

After Ango's betrayal, Dazai changes his mind. Ango has a heart of fire. But it's so subdued one wouldn't really suspect what it truly is.

Ango's heart is one of fire. It's quiet aside from a few pops and cracks when the fire is fueled with logs.

There's a simple reason why Ango doesn't have a regular heart. With a regular heart, you can't deal with things. You can't make the choices he has.

He has to have a heart of unyielding fire to bear those secrets for years. To bear the paranoia and heavy weight. To withstand lying to Dazai and Odasaku for all the time they knew him.

Dazai is almost surprised when he sees Ango four years later.

"How long has it been, Dazai-kun? I was surprised when I received your call." Ango has an amicably neutral expression on his face as he steps out of the black car.

"Hey, Ango. You're looking well!" Dazai happily exclaims. He keeps his happy plastic smile as he passes Ango and steals the government agent's gun. He levels Ango's gun at the owner's head, disregarding the gun at his own head and the sword at his throat. "I'm glad you came. Did you think I've forgiven you?"

It's fragile. So small, a small coal, perhaps just an ember. Ango's heart is just so fragile, when Dazai sees Ango again.

Dazai wishes he could douse it.

Instead, he keeps up his smile and pulls the gun away from the back of Ango's head. "Just kidding," he chirps.

No, he really wasn't.

XXX

Fyodor has a heart of stone. They are kin in a sense, the same. Except for two major differences.

They agree people were stupid.

But Dazai doesn't have a problem with stupidity. He has seen the relentless courage and ocassional sparks of brillance amongst his acquaintances. He does not look down on the masses.

Fyodor's opinion is much the opposite.

The second was what they want. Fyodor wants power and will use any method to get it. Dazai doesn't want power. He wants answers or death.

XXX

Fyodor is on the move even while imprisomed. His creeping influence was quiet yet can be felt in the movements of his pawns.

But really only Dazai out of all Yokohama knows it yet.

Fyodor is on the move. So Dazai must make a move that puts him in a position to counteract each of his opponent's moves.

He sighs as he stares at the blank wall of his apartment. 'I really just want to die. But you're targeting some interesting people I'm acquainted with. They're far too interesting for me to just let them die.' His gaze sharpens. 'Which means, to stop you, I'm going to go find you in that far away prison you've hiden yourself in. And find out how you're communicating orders to your men.'

XXX

Dazai's heart is stone. But for some reason a few think his heart isn't a piece of apathetic rock. At least Akutagawa and Mori have no such silly ideas.

The only way to get through to a heart of stone is to break it. And Dazai is extremely determined to not allow a single crack. Not anymore.

XXX

A group of civilians are armed with various guns. About a hundred of them stand in the street, moving towards the quartet.

At the appearance of the enemies Atsushi goes as white as a sheet.

"We're all going to die," he states with trembling legs. "We should run."

"Well, if that sort of optimism isn't what gets a man up in the morning, I don't know what is," Dazai cheerfully exclaims.

The abnormal comment is normal for Dazai and grounds Atsushi's thoughts. "Right, he's suicidal," he mutters.

Dazai smirks and gestures towards Akutagawa and Atsushi. "Anyways, you two are going to fight them. Atsushi-kun in the front, Akutagawa supporting behind," he orders.

"Just them? What are we doing?" Chuuya questions. He cracks his knuckles in preparation. It's very annoying when in the middle of a fight you punch someone and your fingers make a loud popping noise.

"Run Melos," Dazai happily explains with a smirk.

"Could have just said that," Chuuya irritably replies. He crosses his arms.

"But what's the fun in that?" Dazai cheekily jokes.

Chuuya rolls his eyes. "Come on, b******d, we need to move," he warns.

The two older men leave the distraction team and enter an alleyway a block or so behind Akutagawa and Atsushi.

"Don't get in my way," Akutagawa warns.

Atsushi frowns. "We're a team and Dazai-san put me in front...as much as I don't want to be."

Akutagawa darkly scowls. "Fine," he relents. "Since Dazai-san said so."

Atsushi transforms into a tiger and leaps towards the flood of men. Red tinted tendrils from Akutagawa's black coat ensure Atsushi isn't attacked from behind.

Dazai and Chuuya sprint down the street. They are on the street beside the one with the on going battle between Atsushi, Akutagawa, and the hoard.

Run Melos is rather simple strategy. One person distracts the enemy, the other finds the mastermind. In this case, Atsushi and Akutagawa are acting as the decoys. While Dazai and Chuuya circle around and find mastermind.

Chuuya and Dazai sigh and peacefully head towards the mastermind upon spotting the two people she has.

The woman frowns at them. At her feet Akutagawa and Atsushi are on their knees. Semi automatic pistols held to their temples. They had been overwhelmed by the hoard of people.

Dazai sighs in disappointment. "I gave you two one job," he half jokes. His eyes are dark and don't match the bright plastic smile on his face.

"The Soukoku duo, I presume?" The woman asks. She's dressed in a dark blue kimono, black hair perfectly set.

"Yes, and what a pleasure it is to meet such a charming woman," Dazai cheerily compliments.

By his side, Chuuya narrows his eyes in annoyance. "I swear, if you offer to do a double suicide with her," he threatens with exasperation.

"Oh? You'll what?" Dazai chirps.

A large smirk spreads across Chuuya's face as he reveals his plan. "I'll put a dog in the Agency's office, then tell Kunikida that it's yours and you abandoned him. You know what's going to happen then."

Dazai looks suspiciously at his ex-partner, his eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't. You wouldn't go far enough to get me stuck with a dog."

"I totally would."

"Gentlemen, if you keep being uncooperative I'll be forced to kill one of my hostages," the woman interrupts.

"Of course, of course," Dazai agrees and turns to the female mastermind. "We wouldn't want that. So what are your demands?"

As the woman willingly rattles off a list of requests, Dazai suddenly pulls out a gun from his trenchcoat pocket. "Sorry, but I'm getting impatient. I nicked this from one of your hoard when we were walking through them a minute ago," he explains with a shrug.

"What do you plan to do with it? It's useless? I have two hostages," the woman scoffs. Her tone is mocking, yet somehow she still sounds extremely polite.

"Yes...this situation, it interesting isn't it? It's a literal double or nothing." Dazai's grin flattens into a smirk as he squeezes the trigger.

The bullet flies across the gap between them quicker than the eye can see and buries itself in the shoulder of the female mastermind. The woman gasps in pain and clasps her shoulder with her opposite hand.

Chuuya smirks and sprints towards the hostages.

Akutagawa has been waiting for the opportunity to break free. Rashoumon eats the gun at his head, then twists around Akutagawa and injuries several of the hoard.

Atsushi is only able to grab the gun barrel and move it down before the trigger is pulled. He hisses as the bullet rams into his left shoulder and scrapes by his clavicle bone. He feels immense pain as part of his scapula shatters. Blood oozes out from the bullet's entry and exit points in his shoulder.

The hot gun barrel Atsushi still clutches scorches his hand. Instead of letting go, he yanks the gun towards himself and punches his captor with his right arm.

Dazai lightly slaps the woman to nullify her ability. "It is a shame to have to hurt a lady," he comments as he dodges a strike from the female mastermind's fist.

She yells out a row of harsh curses in reply.

Chuuya quickly knocks the woman unconscious. The regular citizens that are part of the hoard are waking up.

Dazai pulls out his phone and dials Director Fukuzawa's cell. "This is Dazai. The target has been apprehended and the crisis has been stopped. Please alert the medical teams, sir."

"Very well done, Dazai," Fukuzawa compliments. "Please pass my thanks to Atsushi as well."

"Of course sir." Dazai press 'End call' and turns back to other three men.

Dazai smirks. 'I probably shouldn't mention that I didn't have a plan for getting them out alive.

'But oh well. It all worked out.'

A/N

Decided to try out present tense for this story.

My thanks to Sakura245 ( ) for her help on making Atsushi get hurt realistically.

I'm a big Imagine Dragons fan. The title and jumping off point for this oneshot were the lyrics for Natural.

Run Melos is a novel by the real life Dazai. It's main themes are trust, friendship, and waiting. With one friend trusting and waiting for their friend Melos. So I felt it fit with the original strategy literally being one person holding off enemy forces while the other person goes off to find the mastermind/leader. The first person is waiting and trusting in the second person.

I'm feeling slightly horrible for hurting Atsushi so much. But, hey, he can heal, he's fine. Just traumatized mentally.

-Silver


End file.
